NHMesh Recommended Configuration Settings: Optimizing Your Mesh Network

To ensure a robust and reliable mesh network using NHMesh devices, we recommend the following configuration settings. These guidelines are based on best practices and community experience, designed to promote stability and efficient communication across the network. These recommendations may evolve as the NHMesh network expands and improves.

Radio Configuration

These settings primarily affect how your device interacts with the LoRa radio and the mesh network.

Device Settings

Option	Recommended Config	Notes
Role	`CLIENT` or `CLIENT_MUTE`	`CLIENT` is suitable for most user devices that need to send and receive messages. `CLIENT_MUTE` is useful for devices that primarily need to act as repeaters without generating their own traffic. Consider power consumption when choosing roles.
NodeInfo Broadcast Interval	`10800` (3 hours)	This setting controls how frequently your device announces its presence to the network. A longer interval reduces network congestion.

Position Settings

Option	Recommended Config	Notes
Smart Position Enabled	`True`	Allows the device to intelligently determine when to broadcast its position.
Position Broadcast Interval	`3600` (1 hour)	Controls how often your device broadcasts its location. Adjust based on your needs for location awareness vs. battery life.
GPS Update Interval	`1800` (30 minutes)	Sets how often the device attempts to get a GPS fix. A longer interval saves power.
Position Flags	Disable unused flags	Disable any flags that are not relevant to your device's usage. For example, fixed nodes should disable most or all position flags, as their location is static.

LoRa Settings

Option	Recommended Config	Notes
Hop Limit	`5`	The maximum number of hops a message can take to reach its destination. Important: Do not increase this value significantly. A higher hop limit can lead to excessive network traffic and reduced performance. A setting above 6 is strongly discouraged.
Ignore MQTT	`False`	If your node is primarily acting as a router and doesn't need to interact with an MQTT server, enable this to reduce unnecessary processing.
OK to MQTT	`True`	If you want your node to be visible on online mapping tools and connected to an MQTT server (if configured), enable this. This setting was introduced in firmware version 2.5.0.

Module Configuration

These settings control optional modules that provide additional functionality.

Telemetry

Option	Recommended Config	Notes
Device Metrics Update Interval	`3600` (1 hour)	How often the device sends telemetry data (battery, signal strength, etc.). Use `1800` (30 minutes) for testing new nodes.
Environment Metrics Update Interval	`3600` (1 hour)	How often the device sends environmental sensor data (temperature, humidity, etc.).
Power Metrics Module Enabled	`False`	Disable this unless you are using an I²C power monitoring chip. This setting is not for onboard battery statistics.

Important: If you are not using the Environment metrics or Air Quality metrics modules, consider disabling them to conserve resources.

Neighbor Info

Option	Recommended Config	Notes
Neighbor Info Enabled	`False`	Neighbor Info functionality has been limited in recent firmware versions. Disabling it can improve performance. Consider disabling it for now.

By following these recommendations, you can help ensure a stable, efficient, and reliable NHMesh network. Remember to test any configuration changes thoroughly and monitor network performance to optimize your setup.